If you don't already have Alona's blog on your must-read list, it should definitely be there! She is someone who loves her tech toys and has a fresh approach.

Then Fi of DanceSkeletons also nominated me and said some lovely things as well!. Fi really has shone a beacon on the blogging scene and again, is someone whose blog should be on your must-read list.

Then tonight, Friday, after I got home late and a bit grumpy from work, I find that Shauna Hicks has also nominated me!

I don't have to tell you about Shauna as she is such a well known, eminent genealogist/historian/archivist in Australia!

Shauna's website and blogs , her wonderful seminars, books and the way she has for so many years shared her knowledge and encouraged others to use archival records for the treasures within makes her a genealogical treasure!

The Illuminating Blogger Award was designed to showcase blogs that have provided illuminating and informative blog content.So it is a huge, unbelievable honour to be given this award by these three people who I greatly respect and to know that they find what I write interesting. Thank you Alona, Fi and Shauna you have turned the week from ***** to a great week!

At times blogging can be a solitary occupation (particularly at 1am which is when I am usually blogging!) so being awarded this is a great boost and it is lovely to that people enjoy what I write.

I blog for a number of reasons: it is a way of sharing my research highs and, at times, lows and sharing some of the wonderful family ephemera I have (especially as I have no children) and a way og highlighting new records, tech toys etc.

I work long hours as a molecular epidemiologist and family history has been a long-time addiction and gotten me through some severe times in my life. Blogging has opened my world even further and have made some wonderful friends spread around the world! My regret is that i don't blog as often as I would like but I must admit my day job gets in the way!

Hmm, a random thing about me, I was born in the Year of the Dragon and consider them based on the Chinese idea of a protective spirit rather than the English dragon who only eats young virgins (after all that type should have died out by now!). I have been collecting them for many years and now have a large dragon collection that shares my house with my German Shepherd.

I have so many blogs that I find informative and illuminating and am delighted that I can share some with you:

Thomas MacEntee well known in the blogging world for starting Geneabloggers and acting as a unifying force for genealogy bloggers, for his courage and willingness to share his professional life with us and for his general all round niceness.

Judy Webster is a well known Queensland professional researcher and a personal friend. Judy is very generous with her knowledge, her website is full of useful information for anyone doing Queensland research. Her latest entries in Alona's Family History Alphabet Challenge (consider joining in on this challenge it is a lot of fun!) showcases fascinating records.Judy does a number of blogs including one about her Father's early life. In honour of her Father she started the Genealogists for Families project where people make micro-loans via Kiva enabling other families make a better life for themselves.

Lynn Palermo the Armchair Genealogist for her blog encouraging people to write. Her writing challenges are excellent and also the help she provides for writers.

Audrey Collins of the Family Recorder. Audrey is employed at the UK National Archives and posts items of interest at no particular schedule but each item is worth the read. They show the depth of knowledge Audrey has and the wealth of resources available.

Pauleen Cass for many reasons but her excellent series on Beyond the Internet should be required reading as it highlights a wide range of sources for research.

Alona, Fi and Shauna I have mentioned earlier. All write illuminating blogs and I look forward to their posts..

I thank everyone who writes a blog and is part of this wonderful community!

If you are nominated then you have been awarded the Illuminating Blogger Award. Just follow the steps below:

The nominee should visit the award site and leave a comment indicating that they have been nominated and by whom. (This step is so important because it’s the only way that we can create a blogroll of award winners).

The Nominee should thank the person that nominated them by posting & including a link to their blog.

Select at least five other bloggers that you enjoy reading their
illuminating, informative posts and nominate them for the award. Many
people indicate that they wish they could nominate more so please feel
free to nominate all your favorites.